1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement to aquatic sports garments, such as a wetsuit, or such as a diving suit, water surfing suit, sailboarding jacket, etc.
Such a garment can also be used for other sporting activities, such as wakeboarding, for example. Rather than a suit, this can also be a two-piece garment, which include pants and a jacket.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Such known garments, which must insulate the body from the cold, especially during the immersion phase, are generally made of a watertight, elastically deformable but thick material, generally neoprene.
Whether it is an underwater diver, or a surfer who is swimming from the top of his board to get an offing or yet to position himself on top of a wave, or an athlete on his sailboard, all of the joints of the body are stressed during movements, in particular in the area of the arms and legs.
With respect to the arms, a rotation about the shoulder joint occurs during swimming, or with respect to the knees, a bending also occurs in the kneecap area.
The garments of this type are generally snugly fitted, but a small amount of room is necessary in the area of the joints to enable necessary movement, especially as the material used is very thick. An adjustment that would enable the material to line the skin precisely (and constantly) is not possible due to the thickness of the material, even if it is substantially elastic. As a result, chafing and irritation occur, especially in the area of the athlete's joints, such as elbows, knees, shoulders and crotch, due to the friction in these zones of the garment on these parts of the body. To avoid these drawbacks, it has already been proposed to provide flexible zones in the area of the armpits to allow for easier movements. It is also known to provide a sealing gusset on the entire rear zone. However, in either case, this does not avoid the direct rubbing on the user's skin during certain movements.
Athletes sometime use a more or less snugly fitting thin undergarment to limit the drawbacks, but this makes the preparation even more time consuming, and properly superimposing the garment on the undergarment is a delicate undertaking.